nancy paris pruden::

We were driving in the Hill Country of Texas a few weeks ago and stopped for gas. There on the side of the road was this cute momma sheep, tied up, with her lamb no where in sight. I took this photo of her with the sun behind her. As we were leaving her baby appeared. I wanted to paint her because of the way the light behind her linked up with the white of her nose and feet. Too bad I didn’t get a picture of the lamb with her. Althought this is painted in the Plein air style I painted it looking at my computer. Wish I had the time to set up there but we do what we can with the time we have. I will probably use this sketch in a bigger landscape painting sometime.

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Underpainting of Mark

So far in this Blog I have only featured little oil sketches that I do to prepare for a larger painting. However; this time, I thought you might enjoy seeing how I paint a formal portrait. This one has the added problem that the sitter doesn’t live in Houston. I can work just so much from photos (even good ones) and then I need to have the client sit for me. Usually about 3 times. Mark has only been able to sit for me once, but we are far enough along for me to share the process with you.

This first phase (after approving a full size drawing) is called the underpainting. The underpainting is traditionally in green or grey. Note that I did not underpaint the clothes as I like to paint them with a loser feel.

Beginning Glazing stage

In this stage I can (if I have to) use photos to start painting the clothes, background, and the first glazing of the skin. Note, one hand is still in green, to illustrate the process. However, I can just go so far because a photograph will naturally make the darks darker and bleach out the lights. Also, I can’t really see his eyes in the photo. He looks washed out in this stage.

Face after one sitting

Now, note how much more color his face has. That’s what I need to do to the rest of the body and the background but we are on our way!

If you would like me to paint a formal portrait of you or your loved one I am offering a 20% discount between now and Christmas so click on prices on my website and give me a call!

In Houston, May is the month when all the roses really get down to business and bloom like crazy. On my morning walk the air is filled with their scent. I brought these into my studio (again thanks to Sally) and painted two little sketches of the day’s harvest. Notice again how the center bloom is so heavy it droops perfectly. If you do a grouping of these small paintings on a wall it makes a big impact for a small price.

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